The present invention relates to ingestible therapeutic compositions for beneficial insects and to the method of treating disorders of beneficial insects.
There are a number of disorders that affect beneficial insects with an example being controlling parasitic and/or pathogenic infestations in bees, particularly honeybees. It is known, for example, that certain mites affect and destroy entire colonies. Other organisms (parasites, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and the like) cause Nosema disease, chalk brood disease, sac-brood disease, American and European foulbrood diseases, and the like. Certain of such disorders also affect other useful bees, such as alfalfa leafcutting bees (Megachile rotundata), orchard bees (Osmia species), and bumblebees (Bombus species) used in commercial production.
Other beneficial insects used for commercial or scientific purposes, such as silkworms, are also affected by parasites and microorganisms. Insects and arthropods kept in culture for commercial or scientific research are susceptible to similar diseases and nematode worm parasites.
In order to treat such disorders, a number of techniques are utilized. Referring to treatment of mite infestation in bees, it has been known to use a variety of chemicals to fumigate the bee colonies, or to place certain other compounds therein to try to eliminate the mites from the hive where the colony resides. Among such materials are menthol, formic acid, bromopropylate, Coumaphos, pyrethrum extracts (both naturally occurring and synthetic types) and the like.
While generally useful, all of these compositions and techniques are not effective for a variety of reasons. One of the problems is that certain of these compounds, such as menthol and formic acid, when placed in the hive adversely affect the behavior of the bees. Because of their strong odor, the bees have an aversion to them and make every effort to remove them from the hive. With other compounds the bees must be removed from the hive, the hive treated, and the bee colony then returned after a period of several weeks. This is a costly and time-consuming process. Also, formic acid is corrosive and difficult and dangerous to handle. Moreover, certain of these compounds are only effective in warm weather conditions. This is particularly true with menthol, which requires at least two weeks of warm weather to cause it to vaporize in order to be effective. In many areas of the world this is a condition that does not exist throughout the year and, thus, is not effective.
Moreover, with certain miticides it is difficult to cause the bees to ingest the same and this is particularly a problem in trying to treat tracheal mites residing in the trachea of the bees. If they cannot ingest the miticide to place it into their hemolymph, then the miticide will not be effective.
These same types of problems are present with other bee and other beneficial insect disorder treatments. Chemical insecticides when used, as in treating parasitic wasps affecting alfalfa leafcutting bees, have to be used in levels that can adversely affect the bees. These adverse effects include aversion to feeding; memory loss; reduced growth, longevity, and fecundity; and temporary to chronic aberrancies in behavior. Silkworms are treated in commercial rearing operations with antifungal agents and antibacterial agents, as are many insects used for biological control and integrated pest management to prevent the cultures from dying out. In addition to possible aversion to the treatment agent, there is also the problem of the need of high levels of usage which can have adverse effects on the beneficial insect. Here again, there is the need to ensure insect intake of the treatment agent, while at the same time minimizing the amount of agent used to minimize, and preferably eliminate, possible adverse effects.
There is, thus, the need to have a composition that can be effective all year round with regard to temperature, that will ensure that the medicament can be ingested by the insect, and above all it must be a cost effective means of controlling the disorder to make it economically feasible for use. In the case of honeybees, there is the further need to ensure that the treatment will not result in unacceptable levels of toxic chemicals in the hive products such as honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, venom, and the like.